Former Jets wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said Monday he got out of town just in time.
The veteran told NJ.com he asked to leave the team before last season in part because of what he saw as a shift in attitude.
“To be honest, yes I saw a change,” Cotchery said. “But to say that I could see how things would turn out for them this season, I can’t act as if I knew that.
“But I just saw a change, and I felt like I wasn’t a part of the future there in that type of atmosphere.”
The website said Cotchery did not provide specifics, but named WR/KR Brad Smith and DB Drew Coleman as other players sent away due to the change.
The Jets season ended at 8-8 with Santonio Holmes benched in the finale after arguing in the offensive huddle. After the season, LaDainian Tomlinson was critical of the Jets’ locker room atmosphere, and unnamed players reportedly trashed quarterback Mark Sanchez’s work ethic and leadership.
Cotchery, who played last season with the Steelers after seven with the Jets, said he asked for a trade or release last summer because he felt undervalued in an offense that had Santonio Holmes and added Plaxico Burress.
“Every year, you’re constantly taking a back seat,” he said.
Cotchery said he expects to return to the Steelers this season.